Leslie Campbell

Leslie Campbell "is a senior associate and regional director for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at the Washington D.C.-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) where he has directed the Institute's democratic development programs in the MENA region since 1996.

"Mr. Campbell has overseen the expansion of NDI's programs in the Middle East with the establishment of 10 permanent offices that furnish assistance with political, civic and governance reform and development throughout the Arab world. In addition, Mr. Campbell has organized election observation missions around the region, and provided training in the skills necessary for political candidates, government officials and voters to participate in democratic life.

"A frequent guest and commentator on Middle East issues for major news outlets, including CNN, ABC, the Lehrer News Hour, Fox News, CBC, CTV, and Global, Mr. Campbell is quoted regularly in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Canada's Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and many other publications. He has written a number of articles and papers on the subject of democracy in the Middle East and Canadian political party reform.

"Mr. Campbell has also been a guest speaker and/or lecturer at American University, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, Georgetown University, the University of Toronto, and several chapters of the World Affairs Council; and has been a speaker/presenter and panelist at numerous conferences and events. He has been a member of task forces and study groups at the Council on Foreign Relations; the School of Advanced International Studies; the United States Institute of Peace; and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, among others.

"Mr. Campbell is a fellow at the Queen's University Center for the Study of Democracy and sits on the board of directors of IMPACS, the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society, based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Before joining NDI in 1994, Mr. Campbell was chief of staff to the leader of the New Democratic Party in the Canadian House of Commons.

"Mr. Campbell earned a Master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University and a B.A. (Honors) from the University of Manitoba."


 * Member, Task Force In Support of Arab Democracy
 * 2004 Participant, Congress of Democrats from the Islamic World